Here's the kind of respect some players have had for pitches...

... before England's Pietersen, Anderson & Stuart Broad (son of ICC match ref Chris) decided to wet the Oval strip

1 Australian batsman Matthew Hayden sits on the pitch for his pre-match visualisation routine before a Test against New Zealand at Brisbane in 2004. Pic/AFP

2 West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul kisses the pitch to celebrate his century against Australia at Bridgetown, Barbados on April 8, 2012. Pic/AFP

3 An Afghanistan cricketer kneels on the pitch after their victory over Pakistan in the Asian Games semi-final in Guangzhou, China on November 25, 2010. Pic/AFP

4 A West Indies fan kisses the wicket shortly before being removed by security during the Lord’s Test against England on May 20, 2007

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